By Christopher David<\/p>\n
There\u2019s an old saying that the devil has the best tunes, and while German newcomers Lucifer aren\u2019t singing about Old Scratch directly, even just this link to one of his many names seemed appropriate as Europe\u2019s finest export in some time reached our own Thalia Hall on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been an exciting year for Lucifer so far. Forming from the premature ashes of German metal outfit The Oath, vocalist Johanna Sadonis hit the reset button by switching direction, immersing herself and her new bandmates in an aesthetic that has more in common with late \u201860s-early \u201870s psyche and hard rock than the New Wave of British Heavy Metal stylings of her previous band, and Lucifer was born.<\/p>\n
The hype behind Lucifer as a result of the excitement (and breakup disappointment) generated by The Oath has been massive, which is never easy to deal with \u2013 as an artist, expectations aren\u2019t something you have much control over, and being the cover story on Decibel Magazine before a record is even out adds fuel to that fire. But Sadonis has taken it in stride, and, only ten dates into their first North American tour, Lucifer rose in Chicago to show a sizeable crowd what the hype was all about.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s about a classic and undeniably appealing approach to hard rock, one that combines elements of the \u2018magic or \u2018occult\u2019 rock (both terms which have been overused in describing Lucifer as of late) of the 1970s, elements of psychedelic mysticism from the 1960s, and a healthy nod to the riff-heavy guitar crunch of early \u201880s heavy metal, while sidestepping full-on categorization in any of those styles. Guitarist Gaz Jennings is the band\u2019s not-so secret weapon, with a distinct style of riffing that calls to mind everything from Black Sabbath to the twin guitar attack of early Alice Cooper to brit-metal stalwarts Angelwitch. Jennings\u2019 penchant for dark, slithering riffage sits perfectly on top of bassist Dino Gollnick and drummer Andrew Prestidge\u2019s tight, chugging rhythm section.<\/p>\n
Opening with debut single \u201cAnubis\u201d and leading straight into \u201cAbracadabra,\u201d the powerhouse opener from Lucifer\u2019s self-titled debut album, Sadonis is a hypnotizing live presence, weaving her siren-song vocals through the arrangements, continually moving to the music as though she\u2019s plugged into it, a conduit for the songs as opposed to someone simply playing on a stage, adorned in a satin priestess robe, her lyrics calling forth images of demons and magic rites, old gods and powers \u2013 classic themes in heavy metal, but rarely approached with the kind of sincerity suggested here. There\u2019s an air of mystery to Lucifer\u2019s live presence that only enhances the experience of watching them, and when Sadonis sang lines like \u201ctake me to the Sabbath, take me to church,\u201d church is exactly what it felt like: a shadowy, communal experience shared under the jewel-toned lights of a concert hall. All in all, Tuesday\u2019s brief but potent set highlighted, in short order, why Lucifer\u2019s rapid rise has made them a formidable force to be reckoned with on the metal and hard rock scene.<\/p>\n
For photos from the show, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n For interview with the band, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n